Thread based email

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for providing electronic messaging services to multiple users by storing a single copy of an electronic message at a central location and notifying recipients of the stored single copy. An electronic message includes a distribution list and a message content. A distribution list identifying multiple recipients causes prior art systems to duplicate the entire message for each recipient, placing potentially large demands on both processing power and storage space. In contrast, the systems and methods disclosed herein store a single copy or a limited number of copies of an electronic message addressed to multiple recipients and provide each recipient with a relatively small notification. In addition to providing information regarding content and origin, the notification also provides access to the stored message. Furthermore, the methods and systems also aid in organizing replies to electronic messages. Replies are associated with an initial message through a message identifier. The association helps to organize electronic messages by subject and provides context without requiring an author to duplicate the content of the initial message with the reply.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/399,417, filed Sep. 20, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,772,and entitled “Thread Based Email.” The foregoing application isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods and systems for delivering andorganizing electronic messages. More specifically, the present inventionrelates to methods and systems that may be used to reduce the computingresources necessary for delivering a single message to multiplerecipients and to improve the organization of responses to the message.

2. Background and Relevant Art

Traditional electronic messaging systems are a huge improvement over thepaper analogues they augment or replace. By reducing the human andmaterial resources necessary to transcribe, photocopy, and distributepaper communications, electronic messaging allows for resources to befocused on core business objectives rather than wasted on overhead.However, the contribution of prior art electronic messaging systems canbe characterized as replacing physical inefficiencies with electronicones.

Specifically, prior art electronic messaging systems distribute a singlemessage to multiple recipients by duplicating the message and deliveringa copy to each recipient. The two major inefficiencies that resultinclude both processing time to duplicate the message and storage spaceto hold the copies. For example, consider what occurs when prior artsystems deliver a three kilobyte message to all three thousand employeesof a particular business. The prior art electronic messaging systemsmust dedicate processing resources to duplicate the three kilobytemessage three thousand times, producing some nine megabytes of data thatmust be stored in the computer systems of the business.

Admittedly, with today's computer systems, duplicating a file threethousand times and storing nine megabytes of data are minor concerns,when viewed in isolation. However, several other factors render thisdrain on computer resources more serious. For example, electronicmessaging systems operate on many individual messages. Duplicating asingle message three thousand times is the equivalent of receiving threethousand messages at once. When combined with the normal operatingconditions of the electronic messaging system, a sudden requirement toprocess three thousand messages can dramatically reduce systemperformance.

This problem is further complicated when recipients begin replying towidely distributed electronic messages. Because replies may be difficultto understand in isolation, the original message is often copied withthe reply to avoid misunderstandings. Furthermore, the replies are oftendistributed to all original recipients, multiplying the initial ninemegabytes of data by a factor of two and adding another three thousandmessages the size of the reply.

However, copying the original message with a reply provides only minimalcontext. By its very nature, recipients will read and respond to awidely distributed electronic message over a substantial period of time.Some recipients may be out of the office, for hours at a meeting or dayson vacation, when certain electronic messages are delivered. Somerecipients will be involved in other work when the message is deliveredand postpone reading and/or response to a more convenient time. Others,however, will read and respond immediately. This response time delayleads prior art electronic messaging system to intersperse responseswith unrelated messages received in the interim. Moreover, if a specificelectronic message generates a large amount of discussion, it may beadvantageous to divide an initial topic into several subtopics. However,prior art electronic messaging systems provide only limited support fororganizing electronic messages by topic, such as rules for sortingmessages by sender.

Furthermore, electronic messaging typically provides only limitedformatting capabilities. Many messages, however, require fairlysophisticated presentation. Enhanced formatting may be important as ameans of efficiently communicating information. Perhaps a table of dataquickly conveys the message that would otherwise require significantamounts of text. Alternatively, higher degrees of formatting generallyconnote an increased level of importance or authority. The effect ofrequiring a high degree of formatting often leads to electronic messagescontaining attachments of word processing documents that provide theincreased formatting capabilities. Unfortunately, the formattinginformation of a document may contribute as much to a document's size asthe text of the document itself and introduces a certain amount ofoverhead. Thus, three kilobytes is an extremely conservative size for anemail message with an attached word processing document. It is notuncommon for even simple word processing documents to be in the range often to twenty kilobytes. A twenty kilobyte attachment sent to threethousand recipients with a single reply that includes the originalmessage represents 120 megabytes of data—for a single communication. Theproblem may be at its worst when a fifty kilobyte image or 100 kilobyteprogram is involved.

Because the copies are electronic, little consideration is given to theresources that are required for delivering electronic messages. It is asimple matter for the average person to recognize the effort inphysically duplicating something three thousand times. Few if any wouldeven consider making a short (or even humorous) comment in a papersystem that requires three thousand copies of the comment, threethousand duplicates of the original message, time to attach the commentto the duplicates, and manual distribution to three thousand people.However, in an electronic messaging context, senders give littleconsideration to the computing resources necessary for processing widelydistributed messages and the possible impact of replies.

Nevertheless, some prior art electronic messaging systems provideill-suited solutions to the processing and storage problems introducedby multiple recipient messages. For example, public folders andnewsgroups both provide a mechanism for placing information in a commonarea where it can be accessed by multiple requesters without beingduplicated for each. While newsgroups and public folders provide atopical arrangement of information, they lack the ability to directmessages to an easily modifiable group of recipients. Specifically,newsgroups and public folders require a user to post information andthen depend on those who are interested in the topic to periodicallycheck for new messages. This operation renders newsgroups and publicfolders virtually useless for ad hoc electronic discussions.

Moreover, newsgroups and public folders provide limited capabilities forcontrolling access to posted information. For example, access tonewsgroups and public folders can be controlled by users, but accesscannot be tailored on a message by message basis. This limitationimposes a need for newsgroups and public folders to be created based onboth topic and anticipated distribution, leading to a proliferation ofnewsgroups and public folders that must be checked periodically for newmessages.

Finally, growing enthusiasm for the Internet further contributes to theproblems in the prior art because an increasing number of people haveaccess to electronic messaging services. This increased access enhancesthe ability to interact with one another and increases the likelihoodthat a single message will be meaningful to multiple recipients, furtheraggravating processing and storage problems. The prior art demandseither sacrificing performance, limiting distribution, or designingsystems to support the inefficiencies at their peak demand.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The problems in the prior state of the art have been successfullyovercome by the present invention which is directed to methods andsystems for improved distribution of electronic messages directed tomultiple recipients and improved organization of replies to anelectronic message. The improvement eliminates inefficiencies inprocessing power and storage space caused by duplicating electronicmessages and provides enhanced organization by grouping replies with theoriginal message.

More specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, a hostsystem providing electronic messaging services efficiently distributeselectronic messages to multiple recipients. In contrast to the priorart's need to duplicate a message for each recipient, the host systemstores as few as one copy of the electronic message, notifies eachrecipient of the stored message, and includes with the notification alink for accessing the stored message. Therefore, the host system savesboth the processing time that would otherwise be used for duplicatingand the corresponding storage space required to hold each of theduplicated messages.

Alternatively, the invention can be practiced using multiple hostsystems, each providing electronic messaging services to a particularset of clients. With multiple host systems, the host system originatinga message creates a list identifying host systems providing electronicmessaging services for each recipient and a list of recipients for eachof the identified host systems. Then, for each host system, theoriginating system sends a host-specific list of recipients and a copyof the electronic message. However, in a multiple host systemenvironment, an originating host system may determine that another hostsystem providing electronic messaging service to certain recipients isunsupported in that it does not provide the full functionality of theinvention disclosed herein. Upon identifying an unsupported host system,the originating host system sends the electronic message using anotherprotocol that is compatible with the unsupported host system.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides for organizingrelated electronic messages. Replies may be associated with an earliermessage by assigning an identifier to the initial electronic message.This association enhances a client's ability to establish the context ofa reply. For example, assigning an identifier allows for the automatedcreation of a message-specific storage mechanism to hold the originalmessage as well as all subsequent replies to that initial message. Aselectronic messages with identifiers are distributed, at least onestorage mechanism for each initial message is created. Electronicmessages that are replies are associated with their correspondinginitial message by being placed in the storage mechanism previouslycreated for each particular initial message.

The storage mechanism for initial messages may also comprise means forindicating the presence of electronic messages that have not been openedby the client. When a client selects a particular storage mechanism,only electronic messages associated with the message identifier will bepresented. Within each storage mechanism, replies may be organized in atree, hierarchical (parent-child), or other suitable arrangement;replies may be further ordered by time of receipt. Associating a repliesin this manner also allows for the elimination of common text amongmessages. There is no motivation for a reply to duplicate an earliermessage within the reply itself because it is a relatively simple matterto access the earlier message.

Although presented separately, the aspects of the present inventionsummarized above should not be considered as mutually exclusive. Rather,when combined, these aspects cooperate to greatly enhance the art ofelectronic messaging. Furthermore, some attributes are common amongdiverse embodiments of the present invention. For example, the abilityto alter a distribution list for granting or denying access to one ormore recipients, message specific rules that determine the lifetime of aparticular message or control access to the message, and host-specificrules that provide a similar function all may enhance the embodimentsdescribed above.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide methodsand systems for reducing both the processing and storage space resourcesassociated with electronically sending a message to multiple recipients.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods andsystems for tracking and dynamically controlling access to an electronicmessage.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide methods andsystems for organizing related electronic messages.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide methods andsystems capable of interacting with host systems that do not operateaccording to the present invention.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means ofthe instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims. These and other objects and features of the presentinvention will become more fully apparent from the following descriptionand appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the inventionas set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantagesand objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular descriptionof the invention briefly described above will be rendered by referenceto specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appendeddrawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typicalembodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be consideredlimiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explainedwith additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an example system that provides a suitable operatingenvironment for the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the basic elements of one embodiment of an electronicmessage;

FIG. 3 illustrates the basic components of a host system that provideselectronic messaging services;

FIG. 4 illustrates how a preferred embodiment of the present inventionprocesses electronic messages within a single host system environment;

FIG. 5 illustrates how replies are associated with original messages;and

FIG. 6 illustrates how a preferred embodiment of the present inventionprocesses electronic messages within a multiple host system environmentwhere one host system providing electronic messaging services does notoperate according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention addresses the problems that prior art electronicmessaging services face when distributing a single message to multiplerecipients. Rather than expending processing power to duplicate theelectronic message for each recipient and rather than dedicating storageresources to retain each of the newly made copies, the present inventionstores a single copy of the electronic message and sends a relativelysmall notification to each recipient. The notification provides accessto the stored copy of the electronic message and may also includecertain information regarding its content and origin.

The present invention also aids in organizing replies to an electronicmessage. By assigning a message identifier, each reply can be associatedwith the message that prompted the response. The association is helpfulto a recipient because it provides context for the reply withoutrequiring its author to duplicate the initial message with the response.Furthermore, the context established through association is applicableto each of possibly many replies, whereas, without association, arecipient would need to separately establish context for each replyreceived.

The invention is described below by using diagrams to illustrate eitherthe structure or processing of embodiments used to implement the methodsand systems of the present invention. Using the diagrams in this mannerto present the invention should not be construed as limiting its scope.The present invention contemplates both methods and systems forprocessing electronic messages. The embodiments of the present inventionmay comprise a special purpose or general purpose computer comprisingvarious computer hardware.

Embodiments within the scope of the present invention also includecomputer-readable media having computer-executable instructions or datastructures stored thereon. Such computer-readable media can be anyavailable media which can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, suchcomputer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desiredexecutable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed bya general purpose or special purpose computer. When information istransferred or provided over a network or other communicationsconnection to a computer, the computer properly views the connection asa computer-readable medium. Thus, such a connection is also properlytermed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the above should alsobe included within the scope of computer-readable media.Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function orgroup of functions. The computer-executable instructions and associateddata structures represent an example of program code means for executingthe steps of the invention disclosed herein.

FIG. 1 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief,general description of a suitable computing environment in which theinvention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention willbe described in the general context of computer-executable instructions,such as program modules, being executed by a personal computer.Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in theart will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with othercomputer system configurations, including hand-held devices,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and thelike. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices thatare linked through a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system for implementing theinvention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of aconventional computer 20, including a processing unit 21, a systemmemory 22, and a system bus 23 that couples various system componentsincluding the system memory to the processing unit. The system bus 23may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus ormemory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. The system memory includes read onlymemory (ROM) 24 and random access memory (RAM) 25. A basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) 26, containing the basic routines that help to transferinformation between elements within the computer 20, such as duringstart-up, may be stored in ROM 24. The computer 20 may also include amagnetic hard disk drive 27 for reading from and writing to a magnetichard disk, not shown, a magnetic disk drive 28 for reading from orwriting to a removable magnetic disk 29, and an optical disk drive 30for reading from or writing to removable optical disk 31 such as aCD-ROM or other optical media. The magnetic hard disk drive 27, magneticdisk drive 28, and optical disk drive 30 are connected to the system bus23 by a hard disk drive interface 32, a magnetic disk drive-interface33, and an optical drive interface 34, respectively. The drives andtheir associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage ofcomputer readable instructions, data structures, program modules andother data for the computer 20. Although the exemplary environmentdescribed herein employs a magnetic hard disk 27, a removable magneticdisk 29 and a removable optical disk 31, it should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that other types of computer readable mediawhich can store data that is accessible by a computer, such as magneticcassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, Bernoullicartridges, random access memories (RAMs), read only memories (ROM), andthe like, may also be used in the exemplary operating environment.

A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, magneticdisk 29, optical disk 31, ROM 24 or RAM 25, including an operatingsystem 35, one or more application programs 36, other program modules37, and program data 38. A user may enter commands and information intothe computer 20 through input devices such as a keyboard 40 and pointingdevice 42. Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and otherinput devices are often connected to the processing unit 21 through aserial port interface 46 that is coupled to system bus 23, but may beconnected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port or auniversal serial bus (USB). A monitor 47 or other type of display deviceis also connected to system bus 23 via an interface, such as videoadapter 48. In addition to the monitor, personal computers typicallyinclude other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakersand printers.

The computer 20 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer49. Remote computer 49 may be another personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above relativeto the computer 20, although only a memory storage device 50 has beenillustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1include a local area network (LAN) 51 and a wide area network (WAN) 52that are presented here by way of example and not limitation. Suchnetworking environments are commonplace in offices enterprise-widecomputer networks, intranets and the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 20 is connectedto the local network 51 through a network interface or adapter 53. Whenused in a WAN networking environment, the computer 20 typically includesa modem 54 or other means for establishing communications over the widearea network 52, such as the Internet. The modem 54, which may beinternal or external, is connected to the system bus 23 via the serialport interface 46. In a networked environment, program modules depictedrelative to the computer 20, or portions thereof, may be stored in theremote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the networkconnections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing acommunications link between the computers may be used.

FIG. 2 illustrates the basic elements of electronic message 10. Althoughthe invention will be described below in reference to electronic message10 of FIG. 2, the invention can alternatively be practiced with otherelectronic messages having more or fewer elements. Specifically,distribution list 60 describes all intended recipients of electronicmessage 10. Although not shown separately, distribution list 60 includesdirect recipients as well as those receiving normal or blind copies.Including blind copy recipients in distribution list 60 does notnecessarily alter the rules of who will receive copies of a subsequentreply. That is, appearing on distribution list 60 does not mean that aclient receiving a blind copy of an electronic message will beidentifiable to other recipients and therefore potentially receive anylater replies to the electronic message. Timestamp 70 is a generalindication of a message's temporal context. It may represent the actualcreation time, the time a message is received by an electronic messagingservice for delivery, the actual delivery time, etc., or any combinationthereof. Subject 72 is a field where the sender can summarize amessage's content. Subject 72 aids recipients in evaluating the relativeimportance of any particular message without having to review the entiremessage. Finally, message content 80 represents a message's substantivecontent and may include minimally formatted text, binary data such assound, images, executable files, and/or word processing documents, etc.,that may be included with a message as an attachment or as the messageitself.

FIG. 3 illustrates one example of the host systems that can be used topractice the present invention. In general, the host systems of theinvention can be any system that provides electronic messaging servicesto users. Host system 100, which should not be seen as imposing anystructural or architectural limitations on the invention, includes amessage server 112 and clients 114. Message server 112 can be anynetwork server or other computing device capable of managing electronicmessaging services for clients 114. In this example, message server 112is associated with a message store 113, which can be any suitable datastorage system capable of storing message content 80 of an electronicmessage 10, as shown in FIG. 2. The process of storing message content80 is further described below in reference to FIGS. 4-6. Clients 14,which are individually numbered client 1, client 2, client 3, client 4,. . . client n, can be as few as one client or as many clients as hostsystem 100 and message server 112 are capable of serving.

In the example of FIG. 3, message server 112 and clients 114 areconnected by means of network 116, which may be a local area network, ora wide area network. In many cases, network 116 can be anorganization-wide LAN configured to provide messaging services to usersin the organization. Accordingly, clients 114 can be conventional clientsystems used in LANs or WANs, or any other suitable computing systems.For instance, clients 114 can be the computer 20 of FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 3, host system 100 can be linked to other host systems. Host system100 and, optionally, the other host systems designated by FIG. 3represent one example of a messaging system.

FIG. 4 combines the basic elements of an electronic message 10, asillustrated in FIG. 2, and the basic elements of a host system 100providing electronic messaging services, as illustrated in FIG. 3, todemonstrate the operation of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. The electronic messaging services of host system 100 functionas follows. Limited copies of the message content 80 of FIG. 2 arestored as message 180 in, for example, message store 113 of FIG. 3.Generally, message 180 refers to a single electronic message. However,at times message 180 may also be viewed appropriately as an initialelectronic message with associated replies and/or a forked electronicmessage as described below in connection with FIG. 5.

The limited copies are in contrast to traditional electronic messagingservices that store a separate copy for each client who is a recipientof an electronic message. At a minimum, the preferred embodiment of FIG.4 stores one copy of message 180. However, clients of host system 100may be organized into diverse groups, with each group defining, forexample, resources accessible by its members (among other things). Whereclients are organized by group, host system 100 may store one copy ofmessage 180 for each group having a member as an intended recipient ofmessage 180.

Host system 100 also stores distribution list 60 of FIG. 2 asdistribution list 160. Next, the host system 100 identifies which ofclients 114 are recipients as listed in distribution list 160 andnotifies each recipient of message 180 through notification 110. In thisexample of FIG. 4, clients 1, 3, and n are identified as recipients.Clients 1, 3, and n may be or may not be members of a common group.

Distribution list 160 may serve several purposes. In addition tocontaining the intended recipients, distribution list 160 may alsoprovides means for tracking various actions that recipients perform withregard to message 180, such as recording recipients who access themessage. However, this tracking also may be performed by message 180itself, it may be part of the rules included with either the electronicmessage or host system providing electronic messaging services, ortracking may be implemented separately or as a subpart of somecollection of functionality.

Notification 110 may include various data such as timestamp 170 andsubject 172 that correspond to the timestamp 70 and subject 72 of FIG.2. More importantly, notification 110 may include message link 182 forenabling the client to access the stored message 180. Timestamp 170,subject 172, and message link 182 are one example of a preferredembodiment's notification means for making message 180 available torecipients. A notification means may include other information such as afew lines of text, the message sender, etc. The present inventioncontemplates a variety of information as part of notification 10,including the above mentioned options being present either singly or incombination. It is only required that notification 110 provide somemeans for indicating the existence of message 180. This notification isin contrast to prior art systems that would duplicate electronic message10, of FIG. 2, and store a copy for each recipient.

Another aspect of the embodiment of FIG. 4 is the ability to trackaccess to message 180. Tracking may be useful as an auditing featurethat allows the electronic messaging services of host system 100 todetermine and report who has accessed message 180. Moreover, trackingaccess may be useful when considering rules for governing access andrules for determining lifetime as discussed below. Furthermore, oneembodiment of the present invention notifies recipients when thedistribution list changes and provides tools for examining thehistorical content of the distribution list, including comments todescribe why specific changes were made.

The electronic messaging services also comprise rules for governingaccess to message 180. These rules may be defined as default rules to beused by the electronic messaging services or they may be defined on amessage by message basis. Regardless, the rules may control access bydetermining, for example, if message 180 can be forwarded to newrecipients, if message 180 can be downloaded from the message server toa local storage device, if distribution list 160 can be altered, and whois authorized to perform such actions. Altering distribution list 160 toadd a new recipient grants access to message 180 through notification110 as if the new recipient had been an original recipient. Alteringdistribution list 160 to remove a recipient revokes access to message180 as if access had never been granted; future updates will not beavailable to the removed recipient. However, a recipient on distributionlist 160 may have a local copy of message 180. By maintaining a localcopy, a recipient removed from distribution list 160 will retain accessto message 180 as it existed at the time of removal from thedistribution list 160. Revocation may be accompanied by a messageindicating that message 180 is no longer available to the client.

The electronic messaging services may also include rules for determiningthe lifetime of message 180. By way of example and not limitation,message 180 may only be useful through a given date, until everyone hasread it, or until recipients no longer access it for a particular time.The rules may choose one of the above mentioned criteria or acombination thereof, or some other suitable parameter or combination fordetermining the lifetime of message 180. Rules may also indicate if thelifetime of message 180 can be extended and who is authorized to make anextension.

FIG. 5 illustrates the organizational component of one embodiment of thepresent invention. In order to associate replies with the message thatprompted them, each initial message 10 is assigned a message identifier90. Message identifier 90 allows electronic messaging services of thehost system to group replies by subject matter. As practiced in theprior art, conventional electronic messaging services interspersereplies with other electronic messages making it difficult for arecipient to follow a particular topic. Furthermore, as practiced inconventional systems, in an effort to aid other users in following thediscussion, responses may duplicate the content of initial message 10 inthe response, forcing the user to wade through the content of message 10to reach the reply's substance.

In contrast, the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG.5 a associates replies to an initial message 10 using message identifier90. FIG. 5 shows a hierarchical tree model by way of example rather thanlimitation; any hierarchical organization is within the scope of thepresent invention. Reply 412, reply 414, reply 416, and reply 418 allrepresent reply messages associated with initial message 10 throughmessage identifier 90. This organization allows, for example, arecipient to view a display with initial message 10 for context alongwith the text of replies 412, 414, 416, and 418 without having thecontent of message 10 duplicated in each reply.

FIG. 5 also shows fork 423 and fork 427. In prior art systems,unintentional forks occur when individual topics begin to be discussedseparately. Forking is a natural process that occurs based on theindividual interests of each particular recipient. Participating in aforked discussion is like trying to listen to more than one person atthe same time and makes establishing context a difficult task. Moreover,forking is further complicated when the original set of recipientssplinters into subgroups discussing individual topics in detail. Forkingis beneficial because it allows those with specific interests to focustheir expertise without being subjected to larger discussions that maybe irrelevant to them. Unintentional forking becomes especiallyproblematic in prior art systems when recipients are added to adistribution list, because the added recipients must depend on others toprovide them with the discussion's history. In conventional systems, itbecomes difficult to separate the history from the current discussiondue to the volume of information duplicated in the name of context.Moreover, context must be established on a message by message basis byexamining timestamps and sorting through text copied from earliermessages.

In contrast to forking experienced in the prior art, fork 423 and fork427 represent intentional forks according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. These intentional forks are based on recipientsdetermining that a particular topic is more suited to a small group.Fork 423 generates a new message identifier 425 and includes associatedreplies 430, 432, and 434. Fork 427, with new message identifier 429,includes associated replies 436 and 438 as well as fork 447 havingmessage identifier 449 and associated replies 452, 454, and 456. Theadvantage of the embodiment exemplified in FIG. 5 is that organizationis a function of the electronic messaging services rather than the whimof an individual recipient saving messages on a given topic.Furthermore, adding a recipient to the appropriate distribution listprovides the new recipient with the topic history as well, because thenew recipients access is identical to that of an original recipient.Moreover, the hierarchy provides context that carries from message formessage. For example, replies 430, 432, and 434 all relate to the topicdivision made in fork 423.

Although the discussion associated with FIGS. 2 and 4 spoke in terms ofmessage 180, whether a message is an initial message, a reply, or aresponse to a reply is immaterial to how the message is delivered toclients who are recipients. Therefore, FIGS. 2 and 4 could have beendescribed accurately in terms of message/reply rather than simplymessage. With the preceding discussion introducing replies and theircorresponding organization, FIG. 6 will describe messages and repliesidentically with regard to how they are distributed as any distinctionis arbitrary. Nevertheless, the terms “message” and “reply” may beemployed to indicate the relationship between several messages. Anydescriptions of relationship with regard to distribution are by way ofexample and not intended as a limitation.

FIG. 6 illustrates the operation of an embodiment of the presentinvention within a multiple host system environment where at least oneof the host systems providing electronic messaging services does notoperate according to the present invention. Originating host system 100notifies its clients who are recipients of an electronic message asdescribed in relation to FIG. 4. However, message 180, shown in FIG. 4,may be either an initial message or reply and is therefore designatedmessage/reply 180 in FIG. 6.

As the originating host system of message/reply 180, host system 100 isresponsible for notifying other host systems serving clients who arerecipients of message/reply 180. To this end, host system 100 createshost list 164 identifying each host system (e.g., host systems 100, 200,and 300) providing electronic messaging services to the recipients ofmessage/reply 180. Host system 100 also creates a recipient by host list162. List 162 organizes the recipients according to the host system thatprovides electronic messaging services to the recipients

Host system 200 is identified by host system 100 as a host system thatoperates according to the current invention. Host system 100 transmitsmessage/reply 180 and the portion of list 162 necessary for host system200 to notify clients of host system 200 that are recipients ofmessage/reply. Host system 200 stores the transmitted copy ofmessage/reply 180 as message/reply 280 and the transmitted portion oflist 162 as distribution list 260. In this example, host system 100 mustalso indicate how host system 200 should send replies to message/reply180. This may be accomplished by identifying host system 100 as theoriginator of message/reply 180, meaning that all replies should bedirected to host system 100 for distribution. Alternatively, host system100 may transmit host list 164 and recipient by host list 162 to hostsystem 200 so that host system 200 may distribute replies independent ofhost system 100. After receiving message/reply 180, stored asmessage/reply 280, and distribution list 160, stored as distributionlist 260, host system 200 distributes message/reply 280 according to thedescription of host system 100 in FIG. 4 and organizes message/reply 280according to the description of FIG. 5.

Host system 300 is identified as a host system that does not operateaccording to the present invention. For example, host system 300 may beincapable of storing a single copy of message/reply 180 and notifyingrecipients of the stored single copy. In response, host system 100 sendsmessage/reply 180 using a protocol, which is not the one described inreference to host system 200, but is instead compatible with host system100 and host system 300. One skilled in the art will recognize thatseveral suitable protocols for use with host system 300 are available.In one example of using a protocol compatible with host system 300, hostsystem 100 duplicates electronic message 10 of FIG. 2 for each recipientwho is a client of host system 300. As shown in FIG. 6, electronicmessage 310 illustrates each of the duplicated electronic messages,containing a full distribution list 360, timestamp 370, subject 372, andmessage/reply 380, corresponding to the similarly number elements ofelectronic message 10 of FIG. 2.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. In a messaging system that provides clients with electronic messagingservices, a method for organizing one or more replies to an electronicmessage, comprising the steps of: assigning a unique identifier to theelectronic message; associating, using the unique identifier, the one ormore replies with the electronic message; storing a single copy of theelectronic message at a host system, the single copy of the electronicmessage being enabled to be shared by a plurality of intendedrecipients; and storing single copy of the one or more replies at thehost system, the single copy of the one or more replies being enabled tobe shared by the plurality of intended recipients such that the one ormore replies and the associated electronic message are enabled to beaccessed by each of the plurality of intended recipients, and such thatthe single copy of the electronic message and the single copy of the oneor more replies are shared by the plurality of intended recipients.
 2. Amethod as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: assigninga reply identifier to a first reply created by a recipient of theelectronic message; and using the reply identifier to associate, withthe first reply, each of one or more subsequent replies created inresponse to the first reply.
 3. A method as recited in claim 2, furthercomprising the step of separately presenting the electronic message, thefirst reply and the one or more subsequent replies to a recipient.
 4. Amethod as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of separately presentingthe electronic message, the first reply, and the one or more subsequentreplies comprises the step of presenting to the recipient a treearrangement wherein the electronic message is a trunk, the first replyis a first-level branch depending from the trunk, and the one or moresubsequent replies are second-level branches depending from thefirst-level branch.
 5. A method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising the step of separately presenting the electronic message andthe one or more replies to a recipient.
 6. A method as recited in claim1 wherein the method includes steps for distributing the electronicmessage to clients of a host system, comprising the steps of: creatingone or more distribution lists including each client of the host systemwho is a recipient of the electronic message; storing at least one copyof the electronic message at the host system; and using the one or moredistribution lists to notify each client of the host system who is arecipient of the electronic message, such that the at least one copy ofthe electronic message is made available to each notified client.
 7. Amethod as recited in claim 6 wherein the method includes steps fordistributing replies to the electronic message, comprising the steps of:assigning a unique list identifier to the distribution list; storing atleast one copy of a reply created in response to the electronic message;and notifying each client who is a recipient of the reply using theunique list identifier, such that the at least one copy of the reply ismade available to each client who is a recipient of the reply.
 8. Amethod as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: assigninga reply identifier to a first reply; and using the reply identifier toassociate, with the first reply, each of one or more subsequent repliescreated in response to the first reply.
 9. A system for organizingreplies to an electronic message, the system comprising: processor meansfor uniquely identifying the electronic message; processor means forassociating one or more replies with the uniquely identified electronicmessage; a storage means for storing a single copy of the electronicmessage at a host system to be shared by a plurality of intendedrecipients; and a storage means for storing single copy of the one ormore replies at the host system to be shared by the plurality ofintended recipients such that the one or more replies and the associatedelectronic message are enabled to be accessed by each of the pluralityof intended recipients.
 10. A system recited in claim 9 wherein arecipient of the electronic message can optionally fork a first reply,the system further comprising: processor means for uniquely identifyingthe first reply; and processor means for associating, with the firstreply, each of one or more subsequent replies created in response to thefirst reply.
 11. A system as recited in claim 10, the system furthercomprising means for separately presenting to a recipient the electronicmessage, the first reply and the one or more subsequent replies.
 12. Asystem as recited in claim 9, the system further comprising means forseparately presenting the electronic message and the one or more repliesto a recipient.
 13. A system as recited in claim 9 wherein the systemincludes a host system and means for distributing the electronicmessage, the system further comprising: processor means for creating oneor more distribution lists including each client of the host system whois a recipient of the electronic message; storage means for storing atleast one copy of the electronic message at the host system; andnotification means for using the one or more distribution lists tonotify each client of the host system who is a recipient of theelectronic message, such that the at least one copy of the electronicmessage is made available to each notified client.
 14. A system asrecited in claim 13 wherein the system includes means for distributingreplies to an electronic message, comprising: processor means forassigning a unique list identifier to the distribution list; storagemeans for storing a single copy of a reply created in response to theelectronic message; and notification means for notifying each client whois a recipient of the reply using the unique list identifier, such thatthe single copy of the reply is made available to each notified client.15. A system as recited in claim 14 wherein the system includes meansfor a recipient of the electronic message to optionally fork a firstreply, comprising: processor means for assigning a reply identifier tothe first reply; and processor means for using the unique identifier toassociate, with the first reply, each of one or more subsequent repliescreated in response to the first reply.
 16. A computer program productfor implementing a method for organizing replies to an electronicmessage wherein the method is capable of being implemented in amessaging system that includes a host system and provides clients withelectronic messaging services, the computer program product comprising:a computer-readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions forimplementing the method wherein the computer-executable instructionscomprise: program code means for assigning a unique identifier to theelectronic message; program code means for associating, by using theunique identifier, one or more replies with the electronic message;program code means for storing a single copy of the electronic messageat a host system, the single copy of the electronic message beingenabled to be shared by a plurality of intended recipients; and programcode means for storing single copy of the one or more replies at thehost system, the single copy of the one or more replies being enabled tobe shared by the plurality of intended recipients such that the one ormore replies and the associated electronic message are enabled to beaccessed by each of the plurality of intended recipients, and such thatthe single copy of the electronic message and the single copy of the oneor more replies are shared by the plurality of intended recipients. 17.A computer program product as recited in claim 16 wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further comprise program code means fordistributing the electronic message, comprising: program code means forcreating one or more distribution lists including each client of thehost system who is a recipient of the electronic message; program codemeans for storing at least one copy of the electronic message at thehost system; and program code means for using the one or moredistribution lists to notify each client of the host system who is arecipient of the electronic message, such that the at least one copy ofthe electronic message is made available to each notified client.
 18. Acomputer program product as recited in claim 16 wherein thecomputer-executable instructions further comprise program code means fordistributing one or more replies the electronic message, comprising:program code means for assigning a unique list identifier to thedistribution list; program code means for storing at least one copy of areply created in response to the electronic message; and program codemeans for notifying each client who is a recipient of the reply usingthe unique list identifier, such that the at least one copy of the replyis made available to each client who is a recipient of the reply.